Excel: File Name Does Not Appear in Open Dialog

ID: Q89601

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

All Macintosh files are saved with Creator and Type attributes which identify the source application of a file and its general kind. Applications use Type information to restrict the file names that appear in a File Open dialog box to those that a program recognizes and can successfully load.

As a result, a file that does not have a type recognized by an opening application may not appear in the list of file names within a File Open dialog box.

In order to open documents of an unrecognized type, a different file format must be used when saving the exported document, the file type of the document must be edited directly, or the destination application must have a method for 'forcing' unrecognized files to load.


MORE INFORMATION

A file's type attribute allows applications to identify files that can be loaded successfully. In certain cases, such as when a file is brought over from a PC environment or is generated by a recent release of an application, an unrecognized type will be assigned to a document. In these cases, the following strategies may provide a workaround:

Save the Document to a Different File Format

The most straightforward workaround is to save to a file format that is recognized by the destination application. Many spreadsheet applications can read and write SYLK or Lotus 1-2-3 file formats (WKS, WK1, or WK3). The DBF file formats (DBF2, DBF3, and DBF4) are a common bridge between applications with database capabilities.

'Force' Open the Document in the Destination Program

Many programs have alternate means for opening files which can circumvent restrictions on recognized types. These include force-open commands from the File menu, macro or scripting languages which include commands to open files, and the ability to specify that certain documents load automatically on launching the program.

In Microsoft Excel, a macro statement can be used to open files that do not appear in File Open dialog box. The following macro statement:

=OPEN("Macintosh HD:Budget")

opens a document named Budget located at the root level of the hard drive without considering file type.

An alternate method in Microsoft Excel versions 3.0 and 4.0 is to place the files in the Excel Startup Folder (for version 4.0, this folder is named Excel Startup Folder (4)), located in the Preferences folder within the System Folder (under System 6.0.x, the folder is located at the root level of the System Folder.) On launching the application, Microsoft Excel attempts to load each document in the Startup Folder, without considering file type.

Directly Edit the File Type Information

Older versions of applications may not recognize new file types assigned to documents which they are capable of loading. Contact the software manufacturer to determine if an upgrade is available that provides this functionality. If no such upgrade exists, file type information can be edited directly in several ways.

Various Macintosh utilities, such as ResEdit (released by Apple Computers, Inc.), SUM Utilities (Symantec), or Disktop, allow direct editing of file attributes, including file Type and Creator.

Apple File Exchange, an Apple utility provided with the system software of all Macintosh computers, provides default type information when translating files from PC to Macintosh disks. In situations where no other solution is available, Apple File Exchange can be used to transfer a file to a PC disk and back to the Macintosh. If only the 'text' translator is used when bringing the file back to the Macintosh, the file type will be set to TEXT.

The products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

For more information on using ResEdit or Apple File Exchange to alter file attributes, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 


   resedit and file and attributes and apple and file and exchange
   and fdhd

Additional query words: 2.20 3.0 4.00 seen invisible appear found 


Keywords          : kbprg 
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Last Reviewed: March 26, 1999